Bush Signs Tax Bill in Swing State of Iowa
04-Oct-2004 Story from AP / PETE YOST
CLIVE, Iowa (AP) -- President Bush said Monday that rival John Kerry's foreign policy stands "are dangerous for world peace," leveling some of his harshest criticism of the campaign during a trip to an important battleground state. Bush also signed tax relief legislation for 94 million Americans and hit Kerry on that issue, too.
Labeling Kerry a tax-and-spend liberal, Bush told over 3,000 campaign supporters, "I've lowered taxes and my opponent wants to raise taxes."
Re-fighting last week's TV debate on Iraq, in which polls suggest Bush lost ground to Kerry, the president said, "The policies of my opponent are dangerous for world peace. If they were implemented they would make this world not more peaceful but more dangerous."
Bush lost Iowa four years ago by less than 5,000 votes, and the president used the trip to play off his frequent portrayal of Kerry as a candidate who shifts his stand on the war in Iraq.
"You may have noticed he changes his position quite frequently, but not on taxes," Bush said. "In his 20 years in the Senate, he's voted to raise your taxes 98 times. Now all of a sudden he saying he's for middle-class tax relief."
Bush expanded his criticism to other domestic issues, saying that Kerry's health care proposals amount to "a system that's creeping toward Hillary-care." He referred to former first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton's unsuccessful efforts to revamp the medical care system.
Kerry supported the newly signed legislation which extends middle-class tax breaks to 94 million Americans. Republicans in Congress added provisions extending 23 tax breaks for businesses that were set to expire.
Bush signed the $145.9 billion tax relief bill that will:
-- Keep the per-child tax credit at $1,000 for five years.
-- Continue to allow more of taxpayers' income to be taxed at 10 percent, the lowest rate, for six years.
-- Retain for four years a provision giving married couples relief from the so-called marriage penalty.
On Iraq, Bush continued to jab Kerry for saying the United States should "pass a global test" before committing troops.
"Can you imagine taking an international poll of nations to determine whether or not we need to protect you?" Bush asked, eliciting boos from the crowd.
Bush also declared that Kerry's idea for bilateral negotiation between the U.S. and North Korea is a bad idea, asserting, "It failed once, it will fail again." The Clinton administration undertook the bilateral approach, which Bush expanded to include China and other neighbors of North Korea.
Polls show Bush with a slim lead over Kerry in Iowa, and after the tax bill-signing ceremony at a YMCA in Des Moines, Bush told the audience in Clive that the state's economy was sound.
Iowa's unemployment rate is 4.5 percent, lower than the national rate of 5.4 percent. And the Des Moines area where Bush spent Monday has gained 10,000 jobs since he took office. |
